tainted
by RainyDayReading
Summary: "It is going to get better," Luna said softly. "It will." Or, it's been three years since Tom Riddle's diary was destroyed, and yet Ginny still has nightmares. :: for Alana


**tainted**

 ** _for Alana_**

* * *

 _A/N: Prompts will be included at the bottom, so as not to spoil anything :) I hope you enjoy, Alana!_

* * *

 _It was dark._

 _So, so dark._

 _It was like she was trapped in a room of ebony blackness, unable to escape as unseen walls closed in on her, smothering her, suffocating her…_

 _And then she heard the voice. The velvety soft voice she knew all too well, emanating from everywhere and nowhere all at once._

 _"Don't worry, Ginny," the voice said soothingly, sounding as if it were speaking from deep within Ginny's very mind. "You won't remember any of this when you wake up."_

 _Ginny dropped to her knees in the pitch-dark space and slammed her hands over her ears._

 _Tom Riddle's laughter echoed around her._

 _Ginny started to shake, sobs shuddering through her._

 _"Please," she cried, voice breaking. "Please. Let me go."_

 _The laughter booming in her brain only grew louder._

 _Ginny screamed._

 **X**

Her ear-splitting shriek shattered through the peaceful silence of the empty Hogwarts corridor. Ginny's eyes flew open, darting frantically around the hallway.

 _So, so dark._

She forced her mouth to clamp tightly shut, effectively cutting herself off mid-shout. Struggling to calm her heaving breaths, Ginny scanned her surroundings.

 _What was she doing in the middle of the halls at night?_

Fear seized her chest, squeezing her heart in its painful grasp. Was it… happening again? Was she being controlled by Riddle's dark magic?

"No," Ginny whispered to herself. The sound of her voice bounced along the stone walls. "It was a dream this time. Just a dream. I was _sleepwalking."_

It was the only rational explanation. The Horcrux diary had been destroyed three years ago, along with any lingering hold Tom Riddle had on her mind.

And yet she still had nightmares about it.

Ginny shivered, goosebumps dancing along her arms even as her long, red hair stuck to her forehead from sweat. The only light in the hallway came from the faint glow of the stars outside the glass windows; no moon shone in the ebony sky.

For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a flash of dark green scales slithering through the shadows, and the echo of Tom's laughter hissed through her brain.

Ginny reached for the wand tucked into the waistband of her pajama bottoms and pulled it out. Ever since the diary incident, she never went to sleep without her wand secured to her body.

 _"Lumos,"_ she murmured, and the tip of the wand began to shine, illuminating the corridor.

Even with the light creating a warm, bright circle around her, Ginny still felt like there was ice crackling in her veins.

 _So, so dark._

 _So, so cold._

She shivered again, more violently this time, and hugged herself tightly. Her arms trembled beneath the thin fabric of her shirt.

"I need to go back to the Common Room," Ginny told herself. She felt… safer, somehow, when she could hear that her voice was steady. "Right. The Common Room."

She took a step towards the left before hesitating. The cold had seeped from the floor through her socks, and her toes were freezing.

"Or is it…" Ginny took another step back before stopping and glaring around in frustration. _"Merlin._ Which _way_ is it?"

She hated the way the nightmares disoriented her; it was too real, too much like the after-effects of Riddle's mind control.

"Hello?" a voice called suddenly.

Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin, grip tightening on her wand and heart hammering. _"Who's there?"_ she responded, but she didn't sound nearly as strong or brave as she would've liked.

Then she spotted a second light travelling down the corridor, growing closer and closer as whoever was carrying it approached Ginny.

She willed herself to stay calm. If it were a professor, the worst she would get was detention. And, honestly, detention wasn't bad at all compared to being lost and alone in her own nightmares. At least it would keep her occupied.

"Ginny?" the voice asked again, finally coming into view.

The moment Ginny saw who it was, her shoulders finally relaxed. "Luna. Hi."

The Ravenclaw girl frowned at her. She was also wearing her pajamas, but they were much too large; the silky purple pants pooled at her feet. Her golden hair was a mess, making her look as if she had just rolled out of bed, but her blue eyes were sharp and alert.

"What are you doing out here?" Luna asked quietly.

Ginny swallowed hard, glancing briefly at the floor. Luna was her friend; that meant she could be trusted.

 _Then again,_ Tom _had been her friend, too._

Luna stared at Ginny patiently, still waiting for a response.

"Sleepwalking," she said finally.

Luna tilted her head to the side, her blond curls spilling over her shoulder. "Is that really all?"

Ginny hesitated again.

Luna sighed softly. "That's okay, Ginny. You can tell me when you're ready. I understand."

Ginny blinked. "You do?"

"Of course." With that, Luna plopped down to the cold floor, sitting cross-legged. She patted the space in front of her.

Cautiously, Ginny sat so their knees were brushing. The light emanating from their wands created a glowing bubble around them, and Ginny felt more at ease than she had all night.

"What are _you_ doing out here?" Ginny asked this time.

"You see," Luna said, very seriously, "there was a Nargle infestation in the library. I saw their nest while I was studying this afternoon. I couldn't let them just stay there and infect the students, so I've spent the past few hours moving their nest."

"Moving… their nest?" Ginny repeated. She'd known Luna for a year now and was used to her weirdness, but how was it possible that she _physically_ moved the nest of a creature that didn't exist?

"I had to relocate them one by one," Luna said, shaking her head. "It took _forever_. Don't worry, though- they're in a safe place now."

"Where?"

Luna grinned. "The Hogwarts kitchens. Nargles actually help improve the taste of food, did you know that? It's one of their special talents."

Ginny laughed softly. "You must be exhausted."

Luna nodded. "But I'm not so tired that we can't talk about whatever's bothering you."

The smile slipped off Ginny's face.

Luna stayed quiet, just watching her.

Finally, Ginny caved. She heaved a sigh. "I have nightmares, sometimes. About… about the diary."

"The Horcrux," Luna nodded, understanding. "Okay."

"And I- I sometimes can't-" Ginny broke off in frustration. How could she possibly explain the panic that made it hard to breathe every time a memory flashed through her? Or the freezing cold that seemed to be permanently rooted deep inside her bones?

"I can't tell if it's real, sometimes," Ginny finished. "It all feels so _real._ It's hard to remember- remember that it's over. That I survived it. That I'm not a slave anymore."

"A slave to the darkness," Luna whispered.

Ginny swallowed hard. The last time she had told somebody- her mum- she had almost been forced to St. Mungo's for treatment.

Luna's stare was suddenly too intense on Ginny's face, and she squeezed her eyes shut under the scrutiny.

To her surprise, she felt a warm hand grasp her own.

Ginny's eyes flew open as Luna laced their fingers together.

"It _is_ going to get better," Luna said softly. "It _will_."

And maybe it was because of how sure Luna sounded, or maybe it was because the light from their wands was encasing them in a safe bubble, or maybe it was because the warmth from Luna's hands was beginning to thaw the ice in Ginny's blood, but, whatever the reason, Ginny believed her.

* * *

 _HPFC_

 _Ultimate Writer Challenge - "Write five gift fics for fellow participants." - 3/5 complete_

 _Shay's Epic Board Game Challenge - Monad - "Write a fic using the prompts 'purple,' 'blue,' and 'green.'"_

 _Hogwarts_

 _Writing Club - Bex's Disney Challenge - "Characters ; Eeyore ; Write a hurt/comfort fic."_

 _Writing Club - Sophie's Shelf - "Cinematography ; Settings at night ; Set your story during the night."_

 _The Golden Snitch_

 _Centaurus, Aurora - Through the Universe Challenge - "17. Aurora Borealis - (feeling) freezing."_

 _Lumos!_

 _Ravenclaw House - Pop a Balloon Challenge - "(scenario) Character A comforts Character B."_

 _The Room of Requirement_

 _Broaden Your Romance Horizons Challenge - Favorite Slash/Femslash/Cross-gen - "Femslash."_

 _Wand Wood Category Challenge - Ebony - "Write about Luna."_

 _The Muse-Breaker Competition - "Write five gift!fics for fellow RoR members." - 1/5 complete_

 _Random Pairing of the Week - Week 1 - "Femslash: Ginny/Luna."_


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